A/N: Hello, everybody. I honestly haven't had this kind of energy in a long time, but the finale of the Owl House got me in quite a rush. I wanted to get this finished up before it came out, especially after the trailer for it. I even made a fanmade poster for this one in particular. And I've decided to make posters for the BIG chapters that would leave a lasting impact on The Owl House moving forward. And like before, this one will be a two-parter for that reason. So keep that in mind before you say that it's all very morbid. And plus, you may see some references you're sure to recognize. :) I hope you all enjoy this rendition of "Haunting of Judith Clawthorne".
Years ago, Judy walked down the stairs with a scared look on her face, speaking meekly to her father.
"I had another nightmare… The bad man was going to get me…"
Previously on The Owl House: Shadows Upon Blood
Ben was asking Aliud a question as the group made it to the Covention.
"If you could see the future, why would you have to worry about it at all?"
Aliud rubbed the back of his head.
"It takes a lot of mental strength to even begin to do it. At least, that's what the All-Seer told me."
This caught the two of them by surprise.
"The All-Seer?"
"Yeah. Did Omen never tell you guys about him?"
Ben raised one of his eyebrows as he answered, clearly baffled.
"No. He didn't…"
Shortly after, the gang bumped into Amity, who crossed her arms and gave them her own scowl.
"Don't be so surprised, human. You, your friend, and your pet are giving Witches-in-training a bad name."
Judy gritted her teeth like she's eating iron. But in her anger, her hand grew sharp claws and shifted its bones. Yet her rage inhibited her from realizing what was going on.
"The only one giving witches-in-training a bad name is YOU!"
After her outburst, Judy spoke softly to Ben in a cave.
"You may not believe me, but I know what it's like to feel… attacked. Almost every time I've been around Amity, all I could think about was how she hurt Willow. One time, I lashed out at her so badly, I almost got expelled."
At the Owl House, Ben snapped at Luz, his eyes glowing bright blue.
"JUST GIVE ME SOME SPACE, DAMN IT!"
Luz, King, Eda, King, and Raine had alarmed looks on their faces, apart from Judy. After a tense moment, which Ben used to calm himself down, his face began to have a sad countenance as he spoke sadly.
"I can't go back. Not like this."
In the Shadow Coven temple, Ben's eyes flared blue again as he slammed his hand on the wall, causing it to glow bright blue before it erupted, knocking him and Judy back as Omen did an overview.
"From the sound of it, your magic is tied to your emotions. Your anger is practically commonplace for it. That's the kind of magic you'll need to win."
That got Ben very worried. It turned out to be for good reason as he smashed his foot against the ground, trapping Amity in a corner as he went towards her.
"But if it gets someone hurt in the process, or worse, then what's the point? I meant what I said before. I don't want to be a monster."
As for Eda, she talked to Lawrence as Judy cried to herself behind the stand, not noticing that Omen and Lawrence were watching her. Along with it were horrible flashbacks where the demon's chilling laugh echoed in the night. Amidst brief flashes, she also heard a feminine scream of fear before the cries of an infant followed. One flash showed said demon holding a bloodied dagger, and the next flash showed the shadow of a feminine body falling to the floor.
"Judy's so desperate to make herself miserable just to keep everyone else happy, and I don't know what to say to talk her out of it! I don't… I don't even know if I can…!"
Lawrence's face softened from seeing her like this. He'd seen her break down before. And it wasn't a pretty sight then, either. She had been living alone for almost 30 years until Judy, King, and Luz came along. Even back then, he tried to be there for her, but she kept avoiding him. But now, here she is, worried for Judy's future… he reached his hand to her shoulder and tried to encourage and reassure her.
"I know you can. Of all the Boiling Isles, Judith looks up to you."
In the bathroom, Lucifer leaned closer to her with a chilling rasp.
"You can't keep this up forever. Sooner or later, you'll run out. And when you do, I will get out."
Judy spoke to him in a hushed whisper, keeping herself loud enough to make her point clear to the demon as a flashback showed her taking a serum back at Hexside.
"That's not going to happen, Lucifer. I'll make sure of it… like I've always done."
"Wrong. You can't hide yourself."
Then, Omen crossed his arms as he looked upon Ben with a bit of concern for him. He and the boy must be more alike than he thought.
"I wasn't certain if you should, but after today… I think it's time you knew about it."
"Knew about what?"
"The Sword of Xanatos."
In the corner at the Covention, Amity had a somber look as she explained herself to Ben, Judy, and Luz.
"Willow, Judy, and Ember were my friends growing up. I wanted us to stay that way. But when Judy and I got our powers, the only ones who didn't… were Ember and Willow. It made me realize, even if I could cover for them, how long could that last? What if I wasn't enough…? So I had to end things here and there. For their sake…"
As Amity held onto her hands, a tone of sadness flooding in her voice, Ben began to feel guilty, holding his head down. But Judy, on the other hand, felt upset. She replied to her with a tone of resentment.
"Okay… so you did it to protect us? A lot of good that did, didn't it?"
Amity turned her head away in shame before she finished, just wanting to get it over with.
"I don't expect you to forgive me or understand it, but that's the answer I have to give."
In a flashback of the human realm, before he ever left, Ben smashed his hand on a locker as his older brother, Kyle, checked on him.
"Why, Kyle…? Why did she have to die…?!"
Ben began to weep as Kyle went over to him and gave him a hug, the way he always did.
"I wish I knew. But what I do know is that she'd want you to move on."
Then, in the present, Ben was giving Judy a lift from the Covention.
"This whole day's been tiring for me."
"Sounds like you could use a nap, Sis."
Judy started blushing immediately.
"What?"
"I'm your brother, aren't I? That means I gotta look after you."
Judy leaned against him, humming to herself as she let herself relax.
"Yeah… that sounds good."
Omen and Ben were now walking into the hall of the Shadow Coven. There were blue torches that lit the way down the hall. The two of them were dressed up in their standard Shadow Coven cloaks. Along the way, Ben had a million questions about the Sword of Xanatos, but he didn't bring them up. And even if he wanted to, his mind threw them out of his train of thought when he saw a hole of sunlight from the left of him.
Ben saw the stacks of brick and mortar, stacked just so to keep it from being exposed. And he saw the one who was working on it, too. It was Toris. Being an expert on Construction magic, or rather the only one trusted with the Shadow Coven, he was patching up the hole Ben made days earlier. Even he was still in shock over the possibility of that.
"Geez. A human doing magic? Who would've thought of that, huh…?"
Ben felt pretty awkward about the sort of impression he left that day. At the time, he was trying to get away, but he ended up hurting Judy in the process. There was no way to know what could've been going through her mind until she told him. She told him she was okay, but he still had doubts. But what did she mean by being attacked…?
He never got to ask her about it, but with what she and Amity told him, Ben could tell that she really regretted what she had to do. Only Judy seemed to know the details of how that night went down, but she's resting at the moment. For now, all he could do was focus on the present. Still, Ben knew he'd feel guilty if he didn't say something. Of course, he didn't realize that Omen was still beside him, so he gave him a nudge.
"You can talk to him later. He'll still be here when we're done. Come on."
Ben paused for a moment before he walked with him again. Omen could see he still had a look of regret. He gave out a quiet sigh from his lips.
"I know you feel bad about that wall. But the truth is you're not to blame for it. It happened because I pushed you. You know that, right?"
Ben nodded, but he still seemed unsure. Omen saw the doubt on his face and pressed forward, speaking with a tone of regret..
"You'll come along a lot better once you understand."
Once they reached the door, Omen and Ben stopped in front of it. After a few seconds, Omen talked to him.
"I take it you've heard of the All-Seer by now?"
Ben had a look of realization. He'd heard of him before the other day at the Covention.
"The All-Seer? Yeah. Al told me about him. How come you never told me?"
Omen turned his head slightly as he answered.
"I told you before. I wasn't sure you needed to know. And besides…"
Omen knocked on his door three times before he finished.
"Aiken's a bit of an eccentric."
Just then, the door opened, showing Aiken at the door. He had a long white beard that blended with the white hair, dark brown skin, wrinkles under his eyes, and a cute button nose. As for his outfit, it was a long robe with a Pearl brooch acting as a zipper with purple diagonal stripes. He also had purple eyes to boot.
"How many times do I have to tell you to stop bothering me with that damned sword, Omen?! It doesn't matter if I saw it coming, that's no excuse to—!"
Before he could finish, Aiken took notice of Ben by his side. He didn't know what to make of the old man in front of him. He held his tongue as he waved nonetheless, letting out only a word before Omen explained.
"Hi."
"It's not for me, Aiken. It's for Ben."
Play Final Fantasy Origin Music: "Astos' Theme"
Aiken took a look at him, his interest growing before he spoke with a rather appreciative tone.
"Ah! Benjamin. I've heard about you from Valera. I see you've made quite the impact on the Boiling Isles."
Ben grew a bit nervous about how well he'd done it.
"I think the Emperor's Coven might agree with you on that…"
Aiken chuckled at his response before he replied.
"I'm sure they would. Come. I've been wanting to get a good look at you."
Ben looked at him with a puzzled expression before he agreed. He and Omen walked in before someone closed the door behind them. Ben quite jumped at the sudden close, but once he saw Val, who smiled at him, his panic died down.
"Hey there, human."
Ben frowned at her. He didn't like the way she used the term in a teasing way.
"It's Ben. And for the record, I'm more of a witch than human these days."
Aiken stepped up to him as he pointed his finger to him.
"That much is apparent. But it's not just you that intrigues me."
Whether in contrary to his word or to justify it, Aiken walked closer to Ben, holding onto his hand and leaving the palm of it exposed.
"Hmm… interesting."
Ben blinked his eyes. He had no clue what was going on at the moment.
"What is interesting?"
Aiken released his hand before he walked over to the center of the room and summoned a black staff. It had a Red Robin on top of a staff made of what looked like oak.
"I take it you've at least heard about the Sword of Xanatos?"
Ben nodded to him, still confused as ever.
"Yeah. Why is it so important, exactly?"
Aiken gave him a serious stare the instant the question left his lips.
"Because the Boiling Isles depends on it."
Aiken stamped the bottom of his staff into the ground, causing the floor to glow bright blue. Omen and Val didn't bother looking down, but Ben stared at it in complete awe as the light trailed around the center, swirling down to make a complete circle. And from it rose a sword. It was a dark purple and blue sword chained to a stone pedestal. On its hilt was a symbol of the moon. Ben nearly lost his breath as he gazed upon it. Val saw the look and poked fun at it.
"Beautiful, isn't it? Makes you wanna marry it."
Ben snarled at her.
"That's ridiculous!"
Val snickered at his reaction.
"Just messing with you."
After a second, she put on a serious look.
"But seriously. It gets kinda boring after a few centuries by yourself. And dangerous."
Aiken interjected in Val's words as he explained.
"And rightfully so. This sword was sealed away ever since the beginning of the Deadwardian Era. Many have tried to come and claim it, but none have managed."
Ben lowered his eyes, seeing where the story was going.
"I'm gonna assume there's a story behind that."
Aiken confirmed it with a nod.
"Of course there is. Valera wasn't always in the Shadow Coven. Back then, she was a sole guardian of the lost relic."
Ben was in utter shock. He turned to the vampiress, wanting an answer, which she gave with a nod before Aiken went on.
"It's true."
"And we have reason to believe that the sword itself was sent to us from the stars. For the longest time, those who were our most loyal, most brave, even our most kind have tried to lift it. But for 400 years, there was no change. That is, until you came along."
Ben blinked his eyes in disbelief.
"Wait, me? How are you so sure it's not someone else?"
Aiken formed a spell circle, summoning his crystal ball before he swiped to the right. He was rewinding footage within the crystal ball.
"Pay attention to the timestamps on this one. At precisely 4:19, two days ago, you blew a hole in our Shadow Coven hideout. Quite the surprise, by the way."
Ben stood there flabbergasted.
"Wait, you surreptitiously recorded me?!"
"I surreptitiously record everybody! Get used to it."
Ben grumbled before Aiken went to another room with his crystal ball.
"Now. This is my study at the exact same time you made contact."
Suddenly, the sword began to glow brightly, the blue light obscuring the camera before it faded into snow. Ben blinked his eyes from seeing it.
"Yeah-huh. And that happened at 4:19."
Ben began to get very nervous, looking at his own hands in shock.
"W-Wait, you're saying I did that?"
Aiken nodded to him, seemingly proud that he's getting the picture. He clasped his hands onto the boy's and held them gently.
"Yes! Don't you see, Benjamin? You have a gift."
Ben wrestled them away. His face was full of panic and uncertainty.
"More like a curse! You don't know what I've done with those hands! What I could have done!"
Aiken put his fingers to his chin.
"I know you're worried about your personal hygiene, but—"
Beginning to get frustrated, Ben's eyes glowed bright blue, snapping in anger.
"It's not about my damned hygiene!"
Just as he snapped, though, the sword glowed bright blue like his eyes did. Ben dropped his rage and stared upon the sword as his rage distilled into surprise. Aiken felt his point was made.
"There, you see! The sword is reacting to you, Benjamin. It's calling to you alone. Like I said, it's a gift."
The glow in Ben's eyes faded before he further denied it.
"A gift? No. No, I'm a human who can apparently blend in better with people in a magic realm. That's my gift. Those times I stood up to my dad, Ember, and Amity… those were freak accidents!"
Aiken went up to Ben and tried to comfort him.
"I thought Lawrence already made that clear. There are no accidents."
Ben only turned away, beginning to resent himself.
"Then I really am a monster…"
Omen spoke up to him, taking his turn to comfort him. He considered that attitude to be poor considering how Judy helped him stop what could've been a tragedy.
"That can't be true. The sword is reacting because it's calling out to someone who is just! Someone who is right for the job!"
Ben turned right towards Omen and snapped.
"If that's true, why don't you carry it?! You're the one who found the damn thing!"
Omen went up to his face, making Ben stop his rant as he realized what ground he'd treaded onto.
"Don't you think I want to? I can't…"
Omen seemed rather pensive as he admitted it to him. Ben's angry expression dissolved. He was beginning to feel sorry for him.
"I worked my whole life, without magic, to prove I was good enough for it. I've been at it for years. But none of it mattered. The whole time I wondered, 'why?' If anything, you should be grateful to have that honor, Ben. Nobody always gets an opportunity like this even once in their lifetime."
Ben stared at him and then the sword, still conflicted.
"I… I'm sorry. I don't know why I have these powers, or where they came from, but I'm not special. I'm just trying to be like everyone else…"
Val gave Ben a sympathetic look, feeling sorry for the poor boy. Omen just simply stared at him, waiting for him to say something else. It was Aiken who broke the silence.
"Is that truly what you want?"
Ben looked back at him, keeping silent for a few seconds before he answered.
"Yeah."
Aiken seemed to shift his gaze into a scowl for a few seconds before he gave him a smile.
"Okay. Good talking with you."
Suddenly, the door opened behind Ben, making him turn around before he glanced back at Aiken.
"And one more thing. Do not breathe a word about this sword to anyone."
Ben grew a bit nervous before Aiken's grin returned.
"Well, nice talking with you. See you later."
Ben frowned again, confused by his behavior.
"You really need to work on your bedside manner, you know that?"
With that, Ben left the room sadly, the door closing behind him. Omen, Val, and Aiken were left alone.
End Final Fantasy Origin Music: "Astos' Theme"
Val had a sad frown on her face.
"He's… been through a lot, hasn't he?"
Omen crossed his arms as he recounted what Ben told him before.
"I don't blame him. He lost two of the most important people in his life. The only ones who had his back. Now he lashes out when anything sets him off. The only reason he didn't was because Judy stood up to him. With a power like that, I'd hate to know what he could've done if she didn't, let alone in addition with the sword…"
However, Aiken didn't seem to lose his confidence or his smile.
"I wouldn't worry. He'll come around eventually. Besides, the young man has a bigger problem to deal with than just fitting in."
Omen and Val quickly became concerned as the former spoke to him.
"Which brings us to another topic: Blackburn's been getting stronger every year. All the Moonlight Conjuring could do was push him deeper, and that's the best we could do. I hate to say this, but we can't keep this up. Once that fails… how are we going to get that devil out of Judy for good?"
There was a long pause before Aiken shrugged his shoulders with a carefree smile, perplexing the two of them.
"I don't know."
Play The Mandalorian Music: "Hey Mando! (1:43)"
The Owl House: Shadows Upon Blood
Chapter 5: Haunting of Judith Clawthorne: Part 1 - Awakening
End The Mandalorian Music: "Hey Mando!"
The next morning, the sun rose up from the horizon, with Cawworth doing the usual roll call.
"The dawn has come! The dawn has come!"
Ben shouted out the window, frustrated to no end with the raven house.
"Yeah, no shit, Sherlock!"
Ben slammed the window shut as Cawworth harrumphed to himself.
"We'll see how you like it when you have to do it all day…"
Ben grumbled in his room as he began to write down into his journal.
"It was… a crazy day yesterday. I got the hang of my magic powers for a while. But then, I went berserk again. I even almost killed someone! And what, they expect me to wield a magic sword?! I couldn't even handle magic period!"
After a minute of angry scribbling, Ben paused for a moment, allowing himself to catch a breath before he thought back to the person who spoke up for him.
"I'm just glad someone stopped me from making the worst mistake I could've ever made… her name's Judy. She's the one who gave me this journal, actually. She's really smart, and kind, and I'm pretty sure she could kick a bully's ass if she wanted."
Ben laughed to himself at the thought before he began to get sentimental.
"She reminds me of Melissa. She's an old friend of mine back in the Human Realm. I didn't tell her that yet, but how could I? She was tired after yesterday, too. And she seemed… sad. Every time I look at her, it's like she's getting worse. I tried to get her to tell me, but she wouldn't. I hope she's okay…"
Ben closed the journal and looked to his left, staring at the wall where Judy's bedroom was on the other side of it.
It had big, fancy, dark wood-carved shelves and ladders full of books on three levels with green carpeting and a simple fold out bed in a wooden chest at the beginning of the room. There was also a bathroom just next to her bed with the door hanging open. Judy was in her bed, scrambled in the middle with arms and legs akimbo. Her hair was also hanging out over the edge of the bed. As the sunlight shone on her face, she grumbled, her teeth gritting in fear and agony.
In her sleep, Judy was getting awful flashes. There was a demon with red eyes in a hood laughing wickedly. Tears streamed down her face as she saw a bloody dagger in his hand raised to the air, followed by the scream of a woman, making Judy's eyes shoot awake as she shouted.
"NO!"
Waking up from her nightmare, Judy breathed heavily as she clutched her chest. But after a few seconds, Judy became aware of her awkward position.
"Great..."
As Judy straightened herself up, she heard a knocking on the door. Judy threw her hair behind her back and straightened it as she replied.
"Come in."
When the door creaked open, she saw Ben standing there. He seemed to be worried about something.
"Uh, hey, Judy. Are you… doing okay? I heard you scream on the other side of the room."
Judy looked down at herself, seeing her gray pajama shirt all wrinkled from her tossing and turning about. She had an embarrassed look as she brushed it down.
"Yeah. I'm okay. It's just… a nightmare."
Ben stood for a moment, not sure how to bring it up. He wasn't trying to make her mad; she'd been through her fair share already. But he had to know.
"Well, about yesterday… Do you want to tell me what's going on?"
Judy's face saddened itself in seconds. She knew sooner or later, he'd ask her, but it didn't make the impact any better. She tried to avoid the subject.
"I don't know what you're talking about…"
Ben walked in the room and sat down beside her.
"You told me you lashed out at Amity so bad once, you almost got expelled. And then, at Covention, you seemed ready to fight Amity to the death. I… I'm trying to understand what's going on here, but I can't. Can you help me, so I can help you?"
Judy paused for a moment, seeing the caring, desperate look on his face. It's not like she could just turn him away. He was the one who would know what it was like to be in her shoes. She didn't want to be a monster anymore than he did. She made a resigned sigh as she answered.
"Sure. But can I show you something first? It… it would make things easier to explain."
Ben nodded to her. It wasn't much to start, but it was progress. She stood up from her bed and walked towards a drawer. But when she pulled it out, there was nothing inside. Her heart sank almost immediately once the realization set in. Ben saw how uneasy she was.
"Uh… Judy?"
Judy ran from her drawer and went to her sling pack laid on the floor. She dug into it, but there was nothing there.
"No…"
Judy looked inside her desk next, then the wooden chest at the foot of her bedroom, and in her bathroom mirror cabinet. But whatever she sought fit, there was nothing if it to be found.
"No, no, no…! Where is it? Where's the elixir?!"
Ben saw the panic overcoming her face. She was practically clawing it out with her nails…! She was beginning to hyperventilate, too.
"Judy, what's going on?"
Just then, Lawrence went up stairs, having heard the panic in her daughter's voice all the way from downstairs.
"Judith, are you alright?!"
Judy began to snarl, growing sharp fangs and longer fingernails as they dragged themselves over the sink. And even worse, her back gave itself out, putting her in an intensely agonizing situation as she screamed from the pain. Ben stood there with white eyes, pale as a ghost when Lawrence spoke up behind him.
"Ben! Give her this!"
Lawrence held out a red vial to him. Despite the shock, Ben took it and popped open the stopper before he called out to her.
"I got it, Judy! I got it!"
Judy turned towards Ben, seeing the vial in his hand.
"Hurry…!"
Ben rushed over to Judy, holding the vial over her mouth as she desperately leaned back her head to swallow it as it went down her throat. After taking the vial, her back shifted back to where it used to be, and her fingernails shrank back, and her fangs went away. Judy was breathing heavily from such a frightening moment. Ben was about to check on her, but it only got worse…
"So you got lucky this time…"
Ben heard the demon voice and looked around the room, looking for any sign of it, but there was nothing to be found.
"What the hell…?! Who's there?! What are you doing to her?!"
But Judy's horrified gasp redirected his attention back to the mirror. Ben and Lawrence were seeing Lucifer in the mirror as it taunted them.
"Some friend you are if you can't even see with your eyes."
Lawrence glared at him immensely.
"Blackburn…"
Ben looked at him, befuddled by the whole scene.
"Who?!"
Blackburn reached for his hood and pulled it away, showing a very frightening face. His whole figure was a repulsive sight. He was a tall malnourished-looking, gray skin toned man with sunken blood red eyes that held thin cat-like pupils, long thin black hair, a big hole where his nose should be which revealed his skeletal structure of it, long thin skeleton like arms and legs, along with long spider like fingers and toes, long pointed elf-like ears, a wrinkled mouth with blackened sharp teeth in it, and long pale long fingernails. He had a silver brooch on the chest area with a red moon stone jewel in the middle of it. And he also held a Daggertail wrapped around his right arm.
"Took you long enough to say my name."
Lawrence sneered at the demon as Ben held Judy close to him protectively.
"I knew you were a smart guy. But this? You never cease to piss me off…"
Ben looked up at Lawrence, terrified beyond words to ask him what was going on. He snapped at Blackburn, frustrated with his taunts.
"You should've stayed dead back at the Titan's Hill, Blackburn. This world was better off without you in it!"
"That's why I'm here. To make sure nobody gets better than me."
Ben had no idea who Blackburn was, but he sounded very petty. And he was not in the mood.
"Look, I don't know who the hell you are, but if you don't leave my friend alone, you're going to—!"
Before he could finish, Blackburn lurched his hand forward straight from the mirror, phasing through it and clutching his throat with his skeletal hands!
"Nobody tells me what to do!"
Judy shrieked in horror as she watched her friend choking for dear life. Lawrence summoned his Palisman staff and slammed it right on his arms, but it had no effect. Ben started to pass out, feeling himself fading… but he had one last ditch idea. He formed his light spell, holding the orb in his hand before slamming it on his arm, burning it!
Blackburn shrieked in agony, forced to drop Ben to the floor before he began to cough violently, recovering from the attempt on his life as Judy tended to him.
"Damn it! What kind of human are you?!"
Lawrence sneered at the demon and retorted.
"You can't win, Blackburn. You'll never win."
"Wrong, old man. This game's just getting started. You better hope to Titan the Moonlight Conjuring will save you. Because the next time I get out, you won't have a prayer, any more than her mother did."
Blackburn laughed sinisterly before Lawrence used his staff to smash the mirror to pieces. With that, countless shards fell off simultaneously and landed on the sink behind the faucet. After a tense moment, Ben got his breath back just in time to hear Judy crying. He turned to see her shedding tears, holding her arms around herself.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…!"
Judy began to break down, sobbing louder into Ben as he wrapped his arms around her. Was that monster the reason she was so sad? And what did he mean by getting out? Ben looked up at Lawrence, hoping he'd have an answer for this.
"Lawrence… what the absolute fuck is going on?!"
Lawrence gave him a grave look as he answered.
"We don't have the luxury for the whole story, Ben. But in short, Judith… is cursed."
Ben felt a huge lump in his throat just thinking about it. The only other person he knew of being cursed was Ember, and they both knew how well that worked out. To hear it said about her was… it was too much.
"What…?"
Later, Judy was set on Ben's bed, wrapped carefully under the blanket with her head and her arms out of them. As much as he tried to stay calm, he couldn't let his frustration die down after seeing Judy so sad.
"What do you mean she's cursed?!"
Lawrence turned right around to Ben giving him a stern look.
"Exactly what I said."
Ben was still reeling in disbelief after being nearly choked to death.
"B-But why would somebody do this to her in the first place?!"
Lawrence snapped back at him. He was just as much in the dark about that as he was.
"Don't you think I want to know that, too?!"
Ben staggered back from his outburst. He saw the fury in his eyes, the dread behind them… no wonder Omen was scared straight, he thought. Judy moaned, shifting herself on the bed, reminding Ben that it wasn't the time to blame anybody.
"I'm sorry. But I… she called me her brother yesterday. I can't… I can't lose her…"
Lawrence softly placed his hand on the shoulder as he tried to reassure her.
"We're not going to. The Moonlight Conjuring is at hand tonight. It's been our best hope at pushing back the demon in times like this. It's how she's been able to trap him."
Ben blinked his eyes once he heard this.
"'Trap him'? I thought she was cursed!"
Lawrence turned his head solemnly. As he explained, though, he didn't realize that Judith was listening in.
"She was. When she was just a child. A long time ago, a madman came after the child and her mother. He nearly succeeded, but Lilith ended the demon at Titan's Hill. It should've been it. But he had a failsafe in case it happened."
Ben showed immediate concern.
"What failsafe?"
"Should the dark one fall, and he has, his soul will reappear inside his victim's body. If grown ripe, he will take over the victim and rise again from that corpse."
Ben was utterly flabbergasted to hear any of it. To think that Judy would hide all of it from him. She was living on borrowed time the whole time, and he never even knew…!
"And you let that happen why?! Why didn't you just try to cut that bastard out of her?! She never asked for it in the first place!"
Lawrence gave him a deep scowl.
"You don't understand. If it were a physical parasite, that would be easy. But Blackburn would retaliate against anyone who tries to exorcise the demon, and his retaliation would only increase the limit she has before her life is sniffed out in favor of his resurrection. There's simply nothing we could do to get him out. Short of the moonlight conjuring, that is."
Ben blinked his eyes with curiosity.
"Moonlight Conjuring?"
Lawrence stood up and walked towards the window as he explained.
"It's a rare phenomenon in the Boiling Isles that happens once a year. It usually requires three people, commonly friends, to be able to induce magic from the moon granted by the celestial powers above. Most witches commonly use it to bring something to life. But we use it for a more serious matter. The magic from the moon is the only thing strong enough to keep Blackburn at bay, to keep him from completely controlling Judith."
Judy had a sad, uncertain look come over her as Ben brought up his earlier question.
"But if it's that bad, why can't we just use the moon magic to get rid of him?"
Lawrence sat back down on the bed next to him as he explained.
"We've already tried, but as it turned out, when he made that curse, it put a lock on Blackburn's soul and Judith's. And that lock became tangible. So as a rule, if one goes, so does the other. Killing Blackburn himself would not only be impossible… it would be pointless."
Ben's face sank sadly before he looked back at her, seeing her so fragile in bed. None of it seemed fair to him. Why did she have to suffer for living…?
"So, you're saying… she has to keep doing this for the rest of her life? It's not fair…!"
Lawrence petted Ben gently on the back, trying to reassure him.
"I know how dear Judith is to you. But I promise you, we're not going to let him win."
Ben didn't know if he should believe that, but at the moment, anything was better than letting Blackburn use her as a puppet. After a moment, he clenched his hands.
"Alright. Where do we start?"
Lawrence looked at the young man with the same determined look.
"You'll need to stop by Morton's elixir shop in Bonesborough's market just at the edge of town. The moon's magic induces a special effect in them capable of forcing him back. After that, find Edalyn and bring her here. I'll focus on contacting Lilith. She, myself, and Edalyn are both needed for the Conjuring."
Ben nodded with determination before he looked back to Judy.
"Is she gonna be okay, though?"
Judy curled up into a ball on her side as Lawrence sighed sadly.
"You can leave that to me, Ben. I have experience with this. You just focus on bringing the potions and Edalyn here. Alright?"
Ben nodded in determination before he ran outside the door. If he was going to save Judy from a fate worse than death, there was no time to waste. No sooner had he left that Judy spoke weakly.
"Mom… I need you…"
As his poor daughter sobbed to herself, Lawrence gave her a sad look and held deeply onto her hand, having tears in his own eyes as he spoke to himself.
"Please, Selena. For one more night. Shine on your daughter for one more night…"
Out in Bonesborough, Ben was walking by himself, looking around town for Morton's elixir shop. According to him, the moon's magic could alter them in a state that could force him back in her mind. Simply put, this was not the kind of morning he thought he'd wake up for.
"Come on, where is it…?"
Just then, he heard Eda shouting at somebody.
"Hey, open up, Morton!"
"Uh, just-just a minute!"
Ben looked over to where the Owl Lady was. She was dressed in a red cotton cloak with a hood over her head. He saw a Mr. Elixir sign above his head. It made him relieved.
"The shop! I found it!"
Ben rushed over to the shop, overjoyed that he was able to find it in time. And even better, he found Eda. At this rate, Judy would be saved! He rushed over to the shop, unable to think of anything but Judy laying on his bed. But just as he crossed the street, he heard Luz's voice calling out to him.
"Ben!"
He turned to his right to see Luz and King sitting on a bench nearby. He'd been so focused on finding Eda, he didn't even notice them. She ran straight up to the young man and checked on him.
"It's great to see you again. Are you doing okay?"
Ben appreciated the sentiment, but he couldn't stick around for long.
"Yeah. But I kinda need to talk to Eda for a moment. Is that okay?"
Luz saw the panic and worry on his face. Even she knew it must be serious if he was this worried.
"Uh, sure. We can catch up later."
"Thanks."
Ben gave Luz a hug, grateful that she understood his wishes. But in doing so, she began to blush with an awkward smile before he went over to Eda.
"Eda! I have something I need to tell you!"
But when he got there, he was surprised to see Eda covered in feathers on her arms and on her head.
"Yikes. What happened to you?"
Eda grumbled at him with a cold reply.
"I'm having a bad day."
Eda shifted her attention to the shop window and banged on it.
"And you're about to have one if you don't open up, Morton!"
After another round of her protests, Eda finally got through to Morton, who opened up with a meek look on his face. He was a lanky, young man with light skin, light brown eyes, and thick brown hair almost reaching his shoulders.
He wore a gray funnel hat and a mint green, long-sleeved top with fingerless gloves. On top of his shirt, he wore a long, brown overlay dress, with a dark brown belt and a frog necklace.
"Sorry, Eda. I was up all night poison-tasting, and for some reason, I don't feel great."
Ben heard what he said, and his face went up in alarm.
"Wait, poison-tasting? How are you still alive?!"
Eda went up to Morton as she got down to business.
"No time for that question. I'm all out of my juice, pal. I've still got one left, but Judy needs it more than I do."
Morton looked at the empty flask with worry.
"Oh, gee. Let me see what I can do."
As Morton rummaged for it, Ben grew puzzled.
"Wait, so you know about Black—?"
Before he could finish, Eda shushed him harshly, befuddling the young man.
"What?"
Eda leaned close to whisper in his ear.
"Of course I know about Blackburn. I'm guessing that's why you came looking for me. But you don't just say his name willy-nilly in public. You'd start a panic. And as much as I love chaos, I don't need that attention right now. Especially not with this."
Eda gestured to the feathers on her arm, with one more popping out.
"Yeah, how did that happen?"
Eda snapped at Ben for the question, raising her pointer finger up at him.
"None of your fire-beeswax. Anyway, I'd have taken one already, but Judy needs it more than I do. And besides, there's something… important that I need to tell her."
Ben saw the sad look on Eda's face. It's almost like she seemed to know more about Judy's condition than he thought.
"Wow. I never thought you cared…"
"Just don't let it get around. I've still got a reputation to uphold, you know?"
Ben chuckled at her as she did a pose with Owlbert. If anything, he was a bit… jealous. The only person who looked out for him that way in his life was Kyle. But he's still in the human realm recovering from his snake bites. If only he were still here… maybe he'd help with Judy, too… but he's not, and he can't. Because of her…
Ben stared at Luz unsure of what to think. On one hand, she's the one who put Kyle in the hospital in the first place. But on the other hand, it's not like she meant to cause trouble. It was already clear that she wasn't like the other kids from the beginning. As Ben's thoughts about her raced around his head, Luz's voice spoke up, bringing him back to reality.
"Hey. Are you okay, Ben?"
Ben paused for a moment. He wanted to say no so he could focus on saving Judy, but Eda gave him a nudge.
"Hey, it's okay to rest for a while. Morton's got it in the bag."
He wasn't sure he could believe it, but if she knew about Blackburn, then he began to realize that she knew it was just as big a deal as it could get. With the elixirs practically on hand, it might as well be smooth sailing for what would've been a tragic outcome. Reassured by the Owl Lady's words, Ben replied to her.
"Uh… yeah. Can I just sit down for a minute?"
Luz gave him a gentle smile, patting her hand on the bench.
"Sure."
Ben sat down on the bench beside her and sighed as he looked out at the street. As he looked around, Luz spoke up to him.
"Have you ever tried people-watching before?"
Ben was thrown off-guard by the question.
"What?"
"People-watching. You see a lot of interesting people in the Boiling Isles when you look. Like this, for instance."
To emphasize her point, Luz gestured to a giant rolling egg, which hatched what looked like a giant newborn bird before it flew off onto the air. After that, three more people walked into the egg before it closed inside and rolled away, not noticing that they left behind the same Tiny Nose demon who tried to use a power glyph yesterday.
"Wait, wait! Aw, dang it…"
Ben blinked his eyes in surprise as Luz spoke with a smile and a shake of her head.
"The curse of tiny legs."
King frowned at the event.
"I know the pain."
Suddenly, Ben started to laugh at the event softly before he replied.
"Wow, that's… that's actually pretty good."
Luz smiled back at Ben, seeing how happy he was.
"Thanks, Ben. I'm glad you're having fun."
Ben sighed softly before he spoke to himself.
"Melissa would have loved this…"
The instant those words left his mouth, however, he began to remember a distant memory with her.
"Ben? Ben?"
Ben grumbled, trying not to wake up. He just wanted to sleep some more.
"Come on, sleepyhead. Wake up."
Ben lifted his head up, his eyes barely able to adjust themselves. When they were open again, he saw someone in front of him. She had long, brown hair tied into a ponytail, as well as half-rimmed glasses over her brown eyes with a striped, long-sleeved pink/purple shirt with jeans and sneakers.
"Huh? What?"
"You were dozing off again."
Ben started to get embarrassed from the incident and laughed a bit nervously.
"Sorry about that, Melissa. It's just the first time I've gotten any good sleep in a while."
Melissa gave him a little nudge in his arm with her hand.
"I'll bet. You did look like death."
"Hey!"
Melissa even started to laugh at Ben as he grumbled. Eventually, though, he joined in with a light chuckle.
"Yeah, I did, didn't I?"
After a moment of silence, Melissa's smile faded as her gaze looked back to Gravesfield High just below them. They were sitting on a hill overlooking most of the town altogether. Ben noticed the look on her face and became puzzled.
"What's up?"
Melissa put her legs together and set her arms on top of them, holding each arm close.
"I just– I don't know how I'm going to fit in here. I've tried everything, Ben. Cheerleading, sports, book clubs, and God forbid Math. They don't want anything to do with someone like me."
Ben found it hard to believe. Who wouldn't want to be with her? Maybe she just hasn't been looking hard enough. It's not as though he's looking to get rid of her. He just wanted to keep her happy.
"Maybe they just don't know you like I do."
Melissa turned her head to Ben and raised her voice.
"What's to know?! They all know my family's nothing like theirs! They don't…!"
Melissa stopped herself from getting angry and sighed roughly, letting out her pent-up frustration.
"I'm sorry. You know how hard I've tried to fit in. They don't want anything to do with me, us! We only have each other…"
Ben's face only softened at the idea. He hated the thought of people not being there for her, especially when it turned out that she was just like the other kids. He could see what he meant, though. Not everybody here was good. His sister and father reminded him of that every day…
"Don't worry about it, Missy. I'm not gonna leave you. I promise, we're going to leave this hellhole one day. I'll take you with me."
Melissa's eyes widened in surprise. Was he really suggesting this?
"It'd be just me and you. I promise…"
That promise… It was the one thing he wanted so badly to keep. But he couldn't. That word ringing in his head was forcing him to snap back to reality.
Ben was now sitting on the bench, having a somber look on his face. Luz took notice of it and held her hand on top of his, making him look toward her.
"I, uh… I heard about what happened to Melissa six months ago. I never really got to know her, but… she sounded like a really cool person."
Ben gave her a somber smile back to reply.
"She was the coolest. Thanks, Luz…"
Luz hummed sweetly to him before she took notice of two people up ahead. Ben noticed them, too, and the duo of humans recognized them right away.
"Willow and Gus!"
While Luz was ecstatic, though, Ben saw their dismal looks.
"They look a bit… sad."
Luz saw that, too, and the moment she did, her inherent compassion kicked in.
"What's wrong? Who hurt my babies?"
Willow spoke sadly as she pointed to a crowd behind her.
"Them."
Far away, Ben noticed Amity with Boscha and two other students. One of them had a dark brown skin tone, eyes with gray irises, pointy ears, and hair that came in tones of pinkish-gray and deep mauve held up in a ponytail. She was wearing a Hexside uniform with red sleeves and leggings, makings of a student in the Bard Track.
And the other had dark skin and brown wavy hair with a side bang, and she wore squared glasses with black frames over her brown eyes. She also had red lipstick on her lower lip. The girl was wearing the regular Hexside uniform with dark blue sleeves and leggings that indicated she was on the Healing track, along with black clogs. She was laughing with the girl in red as she threw a snack into her mouth, laughing along with her. Ben was confused. Amity, he could understand, but most of them seem like regular witches having fun.
"Can you elaborate, Willow, so I don't misjudge the situation?"
"Amity's having a Moonlight Conjuring and invited everyone but me…"
Ben frowned at that with resignation. This reminded him of the conversation he had with Amity back at the corner in Covention after the Witch's Duel that went horribly wrong. She told him that she had to cut things off with Willow to protect her. Either Judy didn't believe it one bit, or she's too angry at what it implied. Either way, it must not have been easy for her. Then, Gus brought up the difficult part.
"And she keeps posting about it on her Penstagram account."
Ben raised an eyebrow at this.
"I don't know what this Penstagram is, but it sounds a lot like Instagram back home. We don't talk about that."
Gus summoned a scroll with his spell circle before showing it to Ben. It showed Amity with the other three students before showing WitchChick128 with a post saying, "It's Conjuring Night! No dorks allowed!" That chafed Ben's hide as he looked at it.
"Well, so much for not starting a fight…"
Of course, that puzzled Luz more than anything.
"What's a Moonlight Conjuring?"
Willow perked up as she explained it to Luz.
"You spend the night at someone's house. Telling stories, playing games…"
This got Luz very excited.
"Like a slumber party! We have those!"
Willow summoned a book with her spell circle before showing it to them.
"Then, you bring something to life with Moon Magic!"
Luz still kept her enthusiasm as she spoke up before Gus did.
"Like a weird slumber party!"
"The celestial powers only align once a year. And we would've had enough for our Moonlight Conjuring with Judy, but… she's been busy."
As for Ben, however, he had a somber look on his face. And Willow began to get curious. The whole time, she didn't see Judy beside him or Luz. It may be something she was used to, but it still made Willow anxious with how often they left her out.
"She never usually goes to our Moonlight Conjurings. I hope Judy's doing alright… Do you know how she's doing, Ben?"
Ben's face showed concern. What if it all went wrong and she never got to see her friends again? Or worse, what if three people wasn't enough to hold Blackburn at bay? They needed to know what was going on with Judy, and they had to help.
"About Judy… She's not doing very hot. She's been getting worse ever since the Covention."
Luz, Willow, and Gus gasped in shock, horrified to learn that Judy was still suffering after what happened.
"Say it ain't so, Ben!"
As Luz throttled him, Ben lifted her arms off of him.
"I wish I could, but I can't lie to you about this. She needs our help."
Luz sprung up quickly, full of optimism as usual, especially Gus.
"Maybe I could help! Er, I mean 'we' could help!"
"Are you serious? It's actually in my bucket list, just above owning a human bucket! And after that is the Moonlight Conjuring!"
But out of the three of them, Willow was still confused about how they could do that for Judy.
"But what could we do?"
Ben grew very tense about having to disclose information. Eda had told him not to let word about Blackburn loose, or he'd cause a panic. Ben rubbed the back of his head as he tried to come up with anything close to the truth that they could believe.
"Well… maybe we could… help her get better while we do the Moonlight Conjuring. That way, she won't be left out, and she could be with us."
Luz weighed in the account of his words for herself, looking oddly suspicious to him, making him nervous. But after a moment of consideration, Luz was all in for it.
"That sounds like a great plan! We're four people! And we're way better than them!"
Luz gestured to the other students as Boscha laughed and sneered at Willow.
"Sorry you can't get invited to the Conjuring, Willow. Only real witches allowed."
Ben scoffed at Boscha's teasing as he gave her a smug look.
"Pfft. If that's true, how come you're going?"
Boscha stood stiff from his words, making Amity surprised as the other two students gasped before the one in blue spoke up.
"Ohhhhhhh…"
Luz, Willow, and Gus looked at him in awe as Boscha looked at Ben right in the face, obviously miffed.
"You wanna run that by me again?"
Ben raised one eyebrow as he responded.
"I think you heard me."
Boscha went up close to Ben with a scoff.
"Well, at least I'm more of a witch than you are."
Ben raised his eyebrow with a smirk.
"Oh, yeah? Then riddle me this: what's the difference between you and a calendar?"
Boscha was put off by the question. She wasn't expecting that kind of question at all.
"What?"
"It's got more dates than you."
Both sides gasped at his burn with Boscha blushing profusely before she tried to get back at him with an angry look.
"Oh, you are dead!"
Before Boscha could lunge at him, Amity stopped her, holding her arm in front of her.
"Just let it go. This is one battle you don't need to win."
As the others walked away, Boscha looked back at him with a fierce glare.
"Fine. But just so we're clear, this isn't over…"
Having left that warning, Boscha walked back in pace with the others as Willow looked at him.
"Wow… Thanks for the comeback."
Ben simply shrugged his shoulders as he replied.
"Eh, I just saw an opportunity. Anyway, there's no point getting thorny over those guys. Because we're doing our own Moonlight Conjuring."
Ben had an anxious look on his face as he turned back to Eda.
"I just hope we can get enough elixir to give Judy…"
Ben went to Eda with a huff and arrived at Mr. Elixir just as Morton finished up.
"Any luck with the elixirs yet?"
Eda pointed to Morton with a sour look.
"Ask Morton."
"I've got bad news and good news. The bad news is, I'm all out till next week. Good news is, feathers are a good look for you."
One feather sprouted in her hair, making Eda very angry.
"Morton! I told you, it's not for me!"
Morton stood up from the ground after having checked the bottom shelf.
"Well, gee, E. Why'd you wait to re-up 'till now?"
Eda turned her head anxiously as she tried to come up with an excuse initially, but she had a sad look.
"I was trying to think of what to say to my niece. It's a lot of pressure on me, okay?"
Ben went up beside her to speak up.
"Please, you've got to know somebody who has those. My friend's life is counting on them."
Morton's face took on a more serious turn once he saw Ben and Eda's desperate expressions.
"You know, I wouldn't suggest this to just anybody, but if you need your elixir, you can try your luck this evening."
Eda spoke quietly in surprise.
"In the Night Market?"
"There's a guy with a stand. Goes by Grimhammer. If anyone has what you need, it's him."
Ben looked up at Eda with a worried expression.
"You're not really considering that, are you?"
Eda looked back to Ben with a hushed whisper.
"With Blackburn involved, I've got no choice. Besides, just in case things go sour, I'll get the elixir ready for Judy before the Moonlight Conjuring. Just tell Larry I'm bringing the elixir over to his place. I'll figure the rest out later. Hopefully, Luz won't have to see that ugly son of a bitch..."
Ben looked at her feathers, watching as they sprouted by the second.
"And what about you?"
Eda turned away as she tried to cut the conversation short.
"Don't worry about me. I'm fine, really. It's Judy you should worry about. "
Ben didn't look so convinced as Luz came up next to him.
"Eda, Ben, Gus, Willow, and I are gonna do a Moonlight Conjuring with Judy so she could be kept company, so can we–"
Before she could finish, Eda raised her hand.
"Not tonight, I'm going out. I need you to watch the house. I have many precious objects in there."
King made a mocking cute face.
"Like me!"
Suddenly, Eda picked up King and held him up by his collar.
"You are coming with me. I need an extra pair of eyes looking out for pickpockets. And an extra pair of pants in case I wanna pickpocket."
Eda and King both spoke up simultaneously.
"Pickpocket!"
Ben interjected in Luz's favor as he spoke up.
"Couldn't you ask Raine for help with that?"
"Can't. I don't wanna put Raine through the trauma of having to deal with Hooty. Again…"
Luz gestured to Willow and Gus as they came up to her.
"Then, maybe, Willow, Gus, and Ben could come over to the house and bring Judy with–"
Once Eda heard Judy's name, she countered that point immediately.
"No! Judy's not feeling a hundred-percent today. Getting her to the Owl House in that condition is a bad idea. And so is going to her house."
Ben went up close to Eda and went up to her ear to whisper to her.
"Look, Eda, we're both trying to help Judy, here. Can't you let us try? For Judy's sake?"
Eda's face softened once Ben said those words. It was then that she received a very personal flashback.
She could remember the first time she laid eyes on Judy, how tender she looked, how soft she was. The baby was cooing softly as she looked up at her. She was even giggling, too. As if that wasn't enough, she could even hear her mother speaking to the baby.
"That's your Aunt Eda, Judy. She'll take care of you real good. Right?"
Eda began to tear up from the memory before she wiped her tears away and replied, albeit with her voice breaking.
"Okay… Okay, fine! Fine…! You can go to Judy's place for your Moonlight Conjuring after my elixir. But you better not make a mess, or touch anything, or bring this up ever again."
With that, Eda walked away, having said her peace. Luz noticed how sad Eda was. She'd never seen that out of the most powerful witch of the Isles before.
"What was that about?"
Before Ben could answer, Willow spoke up.
"Guys! What did Eda say?"
Ben was quick to answer her, mostly to avoid having to talk about Blackburn to Luz.
"She said we can use the Owl House for our Conjuring. Just as long as we don't make a mess, or touch anything, or bring it up ever again. Her words, not mine."
This made Willow very excited as she hugged Ben tightly with her arms.
"Oh, I can't believe I have enough friends for our Conjuring! And we can help Judy through her rough patch, too! Thank you, Ben!"
Ben gave Willow a hug back as she patted her on the back.
"You're welcome, Willow…"
Ben looked back up at the sky, seeing the moon getting into position in the daytime with a skull face on it. He was beginning to get overcome with dread the longer he stared at the moon.
"I just hope we know what we're doing…"
Far away, Amity was looking back at the group, having a mournful look on her face. Nobody noticed it, but she overheard what Ben told the others moments ago. It sickens her to the stomach just thinking about it.
"About Judy… She's not doing very hot. She's been getting worse ever since the Covention. She needs our help."
Those last four words were ringing in her head over and over and over again. She wanted to go over to them, but Boscha's voice spoke up.
"Hello? Are we going or not?"
Amity had a pensive look on her face. As much as she'd spend a Moonlight Conjuring with Boscha and her group, Amity couldn't ignore the fact that Judy was getting worse. For all she knew, it might be her fault… She couldn't let that go.
"About that… you guys will be alright without me, right?"
Boscha was baffled to hear it from her mouth.
"What? What are you talking about?"
Amity held her hands together, fiddling with them as she spoke softly.
"It's just… I've got a lot of work to make up for. You know, extra credit and all that."
The girls in red and blue concurred in agreement with a nod. But Boscha didn't buy that story one bit.
"I think I know what's really going on here…"
Amity became a bit tense as Boscha walked closer to her. She instinctively clutched onto the bottom of her skirt as nervously as she did subtly.
"You're trying to get even with that human, aren't you?"
Amity was not expecting to hear that from her.
"Wha?"
"He humiliated you at the Covention, didn't he? And then he humiliated me in front of you, too. I knew there was a reason you pulled me back. You must be itching for some real payback, huh?"
Amity paused for a moment to process it. If Boscha actually did believe that, it would be easier for her to be able to go help Judy. Playing along with the lie, Amity went back to her facade.
"I suppose I am."
Boscha squealed with glee over this, taking Amity's hand.
"This is perfect! I could show you where to start!"
However, Amity only wrestled her hand away as she replied.
"No. You guys shouldn't have to give up the Moonlight Conjuring for my sake. You can try it at my place. Tell mom I sent you. I'll be back."
With that, Amity went off, leaving Boscha and her group confused, the Tri-clops most of all. But even so, Boscha agreed. After all, it did take three people to perform a conjuring.
"Well… okay. We'll see you later, then."
But by the time Amity managed to get away from them, she saw that it was too late. Ben, Willow, Luz, and Gus had already left. Amity began to get dismayed, but she clenched her hand firmly with a grunt. She'd let down her friends before. She just couldn't bear to have that happen again.
"I can't let them down. Not again…"
Amity thought back to when Judy stood up to Ben to save her of all people after everything she put her, Willow, and Ember through.
"As much as I hate her for what she did to me and Willow, as much as I'd rather not see her again, I still want her to realize we're not weak like she thinks!"
Whether Judy knew it at the time or not, Amity heard every word she said. She just couldn't ignore that and abandon her again… Fortunately, she knew where to go from personal experience. She just hoped it wasn't too late.
"Just hang on, Judy. I won't leave you this time…"
Meanwhile, someone else was having trouble leaving to begin with. It was almost like the Titan himself was punishing her. She was standing in front of the glass-stained picture of Belos towering over the people bowing to him in reverence.
"Emperor Belos… I asked you to help my sister. But why couldn't I have asked you to save my daughter…?"
Lillith considered the idea once, but Lawrence put her mind out of it. He warned her that if he ever found out, he'd surely try to kill her. After what Lucifer had done, that's the only logical response from the Emperor. If he had the chance, he'd sooner destroy those who use wild magic rather than help them. That was the whole purpose of the Covens. And yet… there was one factor beyond his control.
The Shadow Coven may work to protect the Demon Realm itself, and they may have promised to help Judith, but they were no closer to ripping him out of her daughter than eight years ago. The whole situation was maddening. Maybe the Titan was punishing her… Lillith began to cry to herself, only to wipe her tears away before she heard Kikimora's voice behind her.
"Hello, Lillith."
Lillith turned around almost immediately and noticed the gremlin staring up at her.
"I trust you have a strategy for how to track down the Owl Lady?"
Lilith was tense for a moment, but she regained her composure.
"Yes, Kikimora. She can't hide herself forever. I have spies scattered all over the area. The instant they find her, she's as good as mine."
"Let's hope so. If there's one thing Emperor Belos cannot tolerate, it is failure."
Having said her peace, Kikimora walked away from Lilith, leaving her in a frightened daze. He certainly had a vice grip on her in his claws. Lilith began to hold a sad expression on her face before she spoke sadly.
"I'm sorry, Judith. I can't be here for you this time…"
But as she was struggling to comprehend what could happen, Lawrence was using his raven back at his place, speaking into it. And he was rather concerned. It was almost sundown at the time, the sun just barely ready to set.
"Please, pick up…"
However, after a long dial, all he got was a long beep. This was the last thing he ever wanted to hear.
"TITAN DAMN IT!"
In his anger, Lawrence chucked his raven out the window before it flew back in with a recovery, landing on a windowsill.
"I knew Lilith was busy as the Emperor's Coven Head, but this is just asinine beyond words!"
Lawrence groaned bitterly as he paced back and forth.
"I hope Benjamin brought Edalyn and her elixirs along in time…"
Just then, he heard knocking at the door.
"Oh, Thank Titan, speak of the devil."
Lawrence was about to rush downstairs, but he checked back with Judy, who sat miserably on the bed.
"Are you going to be alright by yourself for a few minutes?"
Judy looked worse than ever since this morning's disaster. Her skin had become more pale than usual, and her bones were starting to show through her skin. But in spite of her horrid condition, Judy tried to answer as best she could manage.
"I think so…"
Lawrence nodded to her and hurried down, though he spoke under his breath uneasily.
"Let's hope we don't have to wait that long…"
Lawrence hurried down the stairs and went to the door just as Fidge went by him.
"Fidge, keep an eye on Judith, and let me know if anything happens, alright?!"
He was in such a rush, he couldn't slow himself down. But Fidge managed to make out the panic in his voice and nodded to his master's behest.
"Yes, master. I'll watch over her with my life."
Lawrence got to the door and opened it up. But what he saw wasn't exactly good news. Ben, Luz, Willow, and Gus were at the door, with nobody nor nothing else to show for it.
"W-What is this?"
Ben tried to come up with an easy way to put it as he rubbed his head.
"About that, well…"
To speed things along, Luz spoke up with a bright smile.
"We're here to support Judy and do the Moonlight Conjuring with her. Ben told us she wasn't feeling alright. So we thought we could come over and cheer her up."
This made him very anxious. He tried to hold in his frustration as he asked him.
"Benjamin? May I have a word with you privately?"
Ben saw the tension all over his face. The boy instantly grew nervous and he turned to his friends.
"Uh… just give me a second, guys. He doesn't really like surprise visits."
Ben walked cautiously into the house before Lawrence closed it shut, at which time, he had a strange look of panic and frustration melded together on his face.
"Where is Edalyn?"
"She went back to the Owl House. There was only one elixir left and she's bringing it over right now."
"Only one?!"
Luz spoke up to him to bring up the good news, though confused by his frustrated tone.
"For now. But it'll be here soon. She's planning on getting more at the Night Market, too."
Lawrence muttered to himself, grumbling as he paced back and forth.
"This isn't going to be enough… Not to mention the time it would take with her luck…!"
He seemed quite vexed. Ben had never seen Lawrence this frazzled. He must know the basics of the Moonlight Conjuring. Willow and Gus had told him that it required three people. And with the way he's pacing, Ben had a guess about Lilith.
"Is Lilith not coming, either?"
Lawrence turned his head to the boy and answered in a peeved manner.
"Of course not! I tried to call her, but she wouldn't pick up. The Emperor must've forced her to hunt down Edalyn. I swear, if we haven't made that oath, I'd force her to come to this house…!"
Ben would ask about the oath, but he can tell that Lawrence was more worried about his daughter. And he didn't blame him one bit. That's why he brought up the good part.
"But, on the bright side, I did get three more volunteers who could help out."
Lawrence had a sneaking suspicion as to who they were. There were only a few people that Ben met here that he found to be trustworthy, he was sure of it. And as much as he appreciated the fact that he found those people, he wasn't too pleased with it one bit.
"Don't tell me it's your friends from Hexside."
Ben caught on to his angered tone. He didn't like how quick he was to shut them down.
"Hey! At this point, we're short on supplies and people she can count on. Sure, we could bring the Shadow Coven, and maybe you could pull it off, but does she really know these people as much as her friends?! I'm worried about it, too, but this is our best option for her right now!"
Lawrence sighed, apologetic for how he came off to him.
"Sorry, Ben. But I can't, in good conscience, involve them in this. Nobody is supposed to know about Blackburn. Nobody! Besides, if things go awry and Blackburn attacks, who do you think he'll kill first?"
This made Ben recall the time he was nearly killed this morning. He could still feel Blackburn's deathly cold hands all over his neck… But as he looked back at that malicious memory, he realized what happened when he used that light spell on the demon. It looked like the light was burning him.
"But I could protect them, though! My magic was strong enough to burn that bastard! And you know what I did with it against Crimson! And at the Covention!"
Lawrence was in the middle of his retorsion, not thinking right away about what it meant.
"I don't care how strong your magic is, there's no chance in hell that could—!"
But the Shadow Coven Leader stopped himself once he heard Ben's voice out loud.
"Wait. That's right. Your magic did burn that devil, didn't it?"
Ben nodded to him, knowing for sure he was right.
"Yeah. It did."
Lawrence pondered it over for a few seconds. However, he looked at Ben, showing a bit of concern for him. He was well aware of how well things went at Covention when he lashed out.
"But are you sure about this? The thought of using those powers scared you to death before."
Ben looked down at his heart and held his hand over it, as if guarding it.
"I know. But right now, this isn't about me. It's about Judy. I'm not the one stuck with a demon in my body. I'll worry about myself once she's okay again."
Lawrence sighed in resignation, knowing that by now, his mind was made up.
"Very well. And what about your friends? Even if they can handle themselves, we can't let them spread information about Blackburn."
Ben made a smirk.
"You can thank Eda for that. She made them promise not to bring up tonight ever again."
Lawrence couldn't help but chuckle at the Owl Lady.
"My. She really did think of everything… Alright. Because we're short on people and time, they can do the Moonlight Conjuring. I'll get everything ready. And in the likely case that anything should go wrong, I'll call Omen and Val here."
Ben smiled in relief before he opened the door. Luz, Willow, and Gus seemed a bit anxious for the wait, but Ben reaffirmed their hopes.
"He says it's alright. You can all come in–"
Just then, they heard footsteps approaching from behind. Ben turned around and saw someone he didn't expect to see. The lettuce-haired girl was looking rather tired from running all that way.
"What the…? Amity?"
As she got her breath, Lawrence looked down at him with a glare, making him rather nervous.
"For the record, this is a total coincidence."
Lawrence grumbled at the thought. What was supposed to be a secret ended up being shown to mere students. It was almost like a donkey-kick to the face. But if he wanted to help Judy, there was no other choice.
"Oh, Titan, give me strength…"
Luz was rather surprised, especially Gus. But the one who was most peeved off was Willow. The latino went up to her, genuinely curious. But Willow was quick to hold a grudge, and she showed that to her afterward.
"What are you doing here, Amity?"
"Yeah. Weren't you having a Moonlight Conjuring with your 'friends'?"
Willow did air quotes with his fingers with a disapproving tone. Amity made a frown at this, clearly not approving of Willow's condescension.
"I didn't choose them. Unfortunately… Anyway, I overheard what you said about Judy. I came here because I wanted to help her."
Ben raised his eyes, suspicious that Amity would say it. Willow was especially doubtful. She wasn't entirely sure she would make it any better after how tense things were between them.
"What makes you think we need your help?!"
Even Lawrence was rather suspicious. He walked over to her and reminded her of their last encounter.
"You must admit, Ms. Park does have a point. The last time you three were together, you called them too weak to be your friends. Do you have any idea what my daughter went through because of you?"
Lawrence posed the question to her with such venom in his voice, even Ben had chills.
"Wow."
A second later, Ben realized what came out of his mouth. Then, he remembered when Judy told him she lashed out at her badly before. Did that happen because of what she did to her and Willow? Amity claimed that she did what she had to do for their sake, but was that really necessary?
"Wait. Is that true?"
Amity felt shame overcome her further as she replied with a nod before she turned her attention to the father.
"Yes. I'm truly sorry. None of you have to believe me. If I were you, I wouldn't believe me, either. But the whole reason I'm here is because I wanted to make it up to you. Can you let me try?"
Ben was genuinely surprised that Amity really said that with a straight face. As for Willow, she didn't hesitate to snap at her.
"No! I won't!"
Unbeknownst to Willow, Judy overheard her shout from outside, making her look to the window.
"Is… is that Willow?"
Judy tried to get up and take a look, but Fidge spoke up.
"You shouldn't be up so soon, Judy. You still need to rest."
Judy looked back at him as she replied.
"It'll only be a second…"
But when she looked outside, she saw Amity on the receiving end of Willow's rage. She wasn't expecting to see either of them outside on her front porch.
"You made me, Ember, and Judy miserable when we were kids! Then, you picked on me for 8 years, and you expect me to forgive you just like that?!"
"I-It's not about forgiveness, Willow. I know I don't deserve it."
"Then why bother coming here at all?!"
Willow's eyes flashed green and summoned vines from beneath her feet, making Amity stumble to the floor and shocking Luz, Gus, Lawrence, and even Ben. Gus widened his eyes and went, "oooooooohhhhhhh." He'd seen her thorny before, but he'd never thought Willow had that in her. Judy gasped softly as she saw the whole fight go down.
"We never needed you before, and we don't need you now! So just go back to your real friends, and leave us alone!"
Willow raised one of the vines and was about to attack her, but suddenly, Lawrence held out his Palisman staff and sliced it off, stopping the young Witch's rant short as the young girl looked on in awe.
"That is enough, Ms. Park!"
Willow turned to Lawrnece, clearly frustrated that everybody seemed to value Amity over her when she had the worst of it.
"Why?! Because I'm Half-A-Witch Willow?! Because my feelings don't matter?!"
With more vines rising up, Luz ran over to her and tried to get her to calm down as she spoke up.
"Willow, remember why we're doing this. We're all here for Judy. There's plenty of time to hold a grudge later, but after we help her. So can you keep it together for a while? Please?"
Willow glared at Amity, who held her head down with shame. With that, Willow stowed her temper away and let it out with a sigh, her vines sinking back to the ground and her eyes returning back to normal.
"Fine, Luz. But after tonight, I don't want to be anywhere near Amity ever again."
With that, Willow walked into the house, looking sour as ever as Luz looked on sadly. As she did, Lawrence sighed with dejection. He can't deny that she wanted to make things right. Other times, he'd brush her aside because of how she regularly treated Willow, but if she came all this way to make it up to her, who was he to deny her the chance? Apparently, Willow was.
It would've been so simple if it were just the three of them. Granted, it was complicated enough already, but it would've been manageable. But with Amity in the mix, Willow was bound to be a powder keg of anger waiting to explode. And that was the last thing he needed…
"Let's hope you know what you're doing, Benjamin…"
Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Judy was overcome, completely shocked that Willow and Amity would be here now of all times.
"No… No, no, no… they can't be here…! They shouldn't be here!"
In a few seconds, Judy moaned, holding her hands to her elbows. Her breathing was ragged, as if her health was failing almost immediately, and dreadfully so.
"My body… it fucking burns…!"
Judy grunted in agony as Fidge tried to reassure her.
"Calm down, Judy. Master Clawthorne should be back any—!"
The poor house elf was unable to finish as she screamed, her voice beginning to get distorted. It got Fidge on edge as her body started to shift uncontrollably. Her arms snapping like branches, her legs akimbo to boot. The frightened Fidge shouted out quickly to his master.
"Oh, dear, oh, dear…! Master Clawthorne! Judy's getting worse!"
Lawrence spoke under his breath before he called to the Hexside Squad.
"Well, not like I had the time to refuse anyway. Everyone, hurry!
Amity nodded to him and ran inside with Lawrence and Ben just ahead of them. The trio went up the stairs and dashed to the room.
Inside, Judy snapped her eyes open and sat up, taking a quick breath to herself. She was almost hyperventilating at this juncture. She could still feel her body hurting, but it was… significantly less painful than she thought. Could she have gotten used to it?
Judy looked at herself, seeing that her arms and hands had gotten longer than before. But when she looked up, she saw that the whole room was black and white, with Fidge frozen in place as if time had stopped. Her heart sank into the depths almost straight away when this realization flooded into her head.
"Oh, no…! Not again! I-It can't be happening again!"
Judy got up off of the bed and hurried over to what was left of the mirror. The one part that remained showed only half of her face while the splintered part of it was pitch black. That is, until a red cat-slit eye opened up in the shadows, flashing his sharp teeth in the red glow of his eye. The instant she saw his grin, Judy backed away in fright as she screamed at the top of her lungs.
The instant she screamed, dark black vines erupted from the side of the bathroom and grabbed her arms and legs, binding her in its trap! Judy was sobbing hysterically as she was suspended in the air, her arms and legs akimbo. The demon smiled at her whilst Judy stared at him and the broken part of the mirror that showed her face. He stretched his arms from the mirror and clutched her by the cheeks of her face before he spoke.
"Time's up, Judy. It's my turn now. My turn… forever."
The demon laughed as he stretched closer to her mouth. Judy was only able to let out a bloodcurdling scream while the demon entered inside her.
Meanwhile, Lawrence, Luz, Ben, Gus, Willow, and Amity burst into Judy's room as her screams echoed. But when they got there, they were surprised to see Judy standing out of bed. She was looking out the window as Fidge was looking at the scene with awe.
"I don't know how, but one moment, she was in terrible pain, and the next, Judy is on her feet again!"
Ben had his doubts. To be sure, he cautiously walked up to Judy, speaking softly.
"Uh, Judy? Are you… doing better?"
To answer him, Judy turned to him and gave him a soft smile, albeit a somber one.
"Yeah. I think I'm okay."
Ben and Lawrence sighed in relief. The young man had a theory about why that could be.
"Maybe that elixir just needed to kick in for a while."
"Perhaps. But it doesn't usually take this long."
Just then, Luz spoke up from behind them.
"You guys use the elixir, too?"
Of course, Amity was just as appalled by this.
"What elixir? And what was going—?"
Before the youngest Blight could finish, she paused in surprise. Evidently, Amity wasn't as prepared to see Judy again as she thought. And Judy was just as surprised as she was.
"Amity… you're really here?"
Amity lowered her ears as a look of shame came over her.
"I know you don't want me here, but—"
Before Amity could finish, Judy gave her a wicked grin.
"I was just dreaming about you…"
Amity looked at her, puzzled by her words. What could it have anything to do with what was going on, whatever it was?
"What?"
"Judy" explained her dream to Amity, her smile still hanging on her mouth.
"I dreamt that we were all together… Me, Willow, Ember… and you. We were out on the beach near the Boiling Sea. Collecting seashells on the sand, and making a sand castle to hide from the lifeguards. Willow was a late bloomer, I said. And you… believed me."
Amity's eyes were flooding with tears, overcome with emotion as she held her hand over her mouth. Ben saw the look on her face. At first, he thought it was Amity realizing she'd made a terrible mistake. Maybe it was. But as Judy went on, he saw where the picture was going. He put his arm over Amity instinctively and they backed away slowly as "Judy" spoke.
"It was a perfect day, and all I could think about was how I just wanted to cut you open and climb inside your bodies so we could stay friends, Amity. Best friends forever…"
Amity's breathing became ragged as "Judy" laughed wickedly with one of her arms behind her back. Lawrence already knew what it meant. Blackburn struck again. Just then, they heard a knocking from below, along with the Owl Lady's voice.
"Judy! I brought your elixir!"
Lawrence, Ben, Amity, and Judy turned around to see Eda holding her elixir. But the instant Judy saw this, she got out a glass shard and chucked it with a fierce roar, slicing it on Eda's hand!
Play Owl House Music: "Raine vs. Belos (Watching and Dreaming Suite)"
"OW!"
The laceration made her drop the elixir bottle, shattering it to pieces and dropping the golden liquid on the floor! Everyone stared in horror as Eda looked at her niece with confused rage.
"What the hell's gotten into—?!"
Before Eda could finish, "Judy's" laughter darkened rather quickly with not just her own voice, but the demon's as well.
"Sorry, Owl Lady. Judy's with the maggots now."
Amity felt an absolute chill riding up in her spine as her teeth flashed, showing themselves to be sharpened like knives, her skin had turned a darker shade of gray, and her eyes were completely black save for the red pupils. As for Ben, he could only think of one thing to say at a time like this. Eda was thinking the same thing as she and Ben spoke simultaneously.
"Oh, shit…"
"Judy" laughed as she glanced at the group in front of her. Her cat-slit eyes looked left and right at Lawrence, Eda, and the kids as her fingers tapped on the side of her legs. Fidge looked incredibly nervous, scurrying to Lawrence's side like a mouse. Luz had a very frightened look on her face herself as she looked at Ben with fright.
"Ben, what's going on?"
Ben held his arm over Luz as he whispered to her.
"Just stay back, Luz."
Lawrence glared at the devil, hands clasped onto his Palisman.
"What do you want, you damned devil?"
"Judy" sneered before she gave an answer.
"Only what is yours. Life."
Eda gave the demon a glare.
"Well, you sure as Tartarus can't have Judy's! So get out of her and beat it!"
"Judy" sneered at the Owl Lady, her fangs bared.
"Fine. But before I go, I think I'll take one with me."
"Judy" lifted one of her hands up and pointed at Luz first.
"Eenie…"
Luz felt especially tense as the finger looked over to her. Then, it slowly went to Ben, who scowled at the imposter with a blend of fear, caution, and anger.
"Meenie…"
"Judy" pointed at Willow next, making her tense up in fear of what she had become.
"MINEY!"
But the most frightened of all was Amity. She had tears streaming down her face as she was breathing rather quickly. "Judy" smiled at the look of pure terror on her face.
"You."
Amity trembled as "Judy" fixed her gaze on the youngest Blight. She was as paralyzed as a deer in headlights. And she relished that.
"Yes… You can burn in hell with me… BURN AT THE STAKE!"
In half a second less than no time, which was the very instant the sun's light faded from view, "Judy" leapt at Amity like a wild animal, catching everyone, even Willow, by surprise. The resulting impact sent Amity tumbling back, falling off of the upper level before landing with a hard thud. Her head rang as "Judy" stared into her eyes with a sinister grin.
"Didn't want to be friends with a weakling, did you?"
Amity's eyes were filled to the brim with instant regret before she got hit squarely in the face! Her nails dragged across her flesh, leaving big cuts on her cheeks. Ben, Luz, and Lawrence hurried down the stairs as Gus and Willow peeked over the handrails, watching as "Judy" attacked Amity, scratching her as she screamed in agony and pain. Gus held his hands over his eyes to block out the brutality.
"I can't watch…!"
Willow was too stunned to cover her own eyes. All she could see was "Judy" brutally hitting Amity where it hurt, both figuratively and literally. After the scratching was done, she started to punch Amity ruthlessly over and over like she was throwing a tantrum. With every blow came another bruise on her face, but it wasn't stopping there. She was even punching the blood all over the floor, sending it flying with her attacks.
"I HATE YOU, BLIGHT! I'VE ALWAYS HATED YOU! I! FUCKING! HATE! YOU!"
Before "Judy" could throw one more, Ben did a Full Nelson, putting his hand on her face with his light spell and burning it, making her wail in anger and pain.
"Get the fuck off of her!"
Ben kicked "Judy" in the back, pushing her far away from Amity. But when "Judy" looked back at him, only her face returned to its normal color. And her eyes and teeth were changed back, too. And the steam was coming off of her where Ben pushed his light spell. She looked very scared.
"B-Ben…? What's going on…?!"
Ben could feel his heart break to see Judy in such a dire position. And Willow felt her own soul shatter to pieces as she saw the whole situation.
"Judy…!"
Before Ben could begin, she shook her head and grunted, the black markings reaching up to her neck like snakes.
"N-Never mind! Just listen. I need you to push me into the cellar and lock it until you do the Moonlight Conjuring. It's the only way to stop him."
Ben hadn't known there was a cellar before today. But he knew it must be important for him to mention it.
"What cellar? Where is it?"
Judy's breathing became harder as she pointed at the small lever just next to him.
"It's the latch. Right there…!"
Ben looked down and saw the latch where she was pointing. It blended in well at plain sight, but on closer inspection, he could see it sticking out. Just then, Judy felt her bones stretching in her spine, her legs going behind her as she went on all-fours. And her bright orange hair started right turn black, the color draining away from the tips. Amity saw the whole thing, though struggling to stay conscious as Ben spoke to her.
"But what about you?!"
"Don't worry about me! You're the ones in danger!"
Willow heard every word that was coming out of her mouth. Was she not participating in the Moonlight Conjuring to keep that monster away from her friends? And who could've put that demon inside her in the first place?
"Please, Ben! Don't let Blackburn kill my friends!" Don't let him…!"
Before she could finish, Judy made a guttural scream, throwing her head back as her emerald eyes rolled up to the back of her head, and in their place were two red eyes with black slits in the middle.
"SHUT UP, BITCH! I should've killed you before you were born!"
Blackburn rushed at Ben, ready to attack him, only to get smacked upside the head by a staff. It was Eda, using a Owlbert to attack him. And she was mad as hell.
"Don't you dare insult my niece, you ugly bastard!"
Blackburn glared at the Owl Lady and attempted to retaliate against her, using his claws to scratch at her. It didn't do a lot of good with Owlbert in the mix. Eda used it to hit him dead-on in the stomach, making him double over before whacking him right on the head. Afforded this time, Ben reached for the latch and pulled it open, looking to the Owl Lady as he shouted for her.
"Now! Toss him in!"
Eda nodded to Ben as the devil lunged at her once again, only to get smacked by the staff. However, Blackburn used the momentum to snatch Owlbert right off of the staff! Both Blackburn and the Palisman fell into the cellar, much to Eda's worry.
"Owlbert!"
Eda made a quick dash for her Palisman just as it and Blackburn fell into the cellar. The collision caused him to drop Owlbert, who quickly took its chance to fly away to Eda, who held out her hand.
"I got you, boy!"
Before Owlbert could get to her, though, Blackburn clutched onto it, making it squeak in fear as the demon dragged it down with him. But Eda wasn't giving up without a fight.
"Oh, no, you don't!"
Eda reached for Owlbert desperately, engaging in a tug-of-war with him.
"You…! Are not…! Taking…! My Palisman…! From me!"
Blackburn growled under his breath, frustrated with her to no end.
"You were always a pain in the ass."
Blackburn lurched himself forward and bit down on her hand, his fangs sinking into her flesh like razors. Eda screamed from the pain, but she didn't let go once. In fact, it only pissed her off more than ever.
"Okay, you've overstepped this time, Blackburn! Sorry, Judy, but it's him or Owlbert!"
Eda smashed her foot on his face, forcing him to let go, both teeth and claw from her and Owlbert. This allowed Eda to slam the cellar shut while Lawrence locked it tight using a black spell circle. The cellar door burst open just by inches and glowed dark blue as Blackburn roared and tried to break out of it to no avail.
End Owl House Music: "Raine vs. Belos (Watching and Dreaming Suite)
With the demon trapped, Eda panted her breath, looking at the bite on her hand. Blood was seeping from his bite as she looked at Owlbert.
"You doing okay, Owlbert?"
Owlbert hooted softly in response.
"Oh, good…"
Ben looked over at Amity, seeing the horrible state Blackburn put her in. Attacking her was one thing, but using Judy's own body to do it?! What kind of monster was he to take any satisfaction in this?! He looked up at the stairs and saw Willow staring at Amity's broken body, conflicted by what she'd witnessed. As for Luz, she ran over to check up on Amity.
"Amity! Oh, querido Titán… Why would Judy do this?"
Lawrence grunted under his breath as he stood up with a solemn look upon him.
"I was hoping you'd never have to see this."
"See what?"
Willow was the one who asked him, causing the father to shift his head to her. She was nearly at the bottom of the stairs. Before he could say anything, Willow spoke on.
"I know Eda made us promise not to say anything about it, but how can I keep that promise after what I've seen?! My best friend just attacked Amity and tried to kill her in front of me! I hated her, too, but I never wanted this!"
Eda and Ben saw the tears on her face. She was way past upset over this. Still, Ben tried to reassure her.
"Willow—"
"I came here to help Judy, but you never told us anything about this! How could you think it was okay to hide this from us?!"
Even Gus had to agree.
"Not cool, man. Not cool."
Willow walked right up to Lawrence and put her finger on his cloak and she demanded the truth out of him.
"So how about you stop hiding secrets from us and tell us what is happening to our friend?!"
Lawrence held his head down and sighed pensively before he complied.
"Very well. Ms. Park, in the past you wished my daughter to join you in the Moonlight Conjuring. And she always answered with a broken heart, 'no.' And now, you know why. Every Moonlight Conjuring… Blackburn comes for her soul… and ours."
Willow, Luz, and Gus gasped in shock as they were hit with this realization. Lawrence turned his head towards Amity, seeing the horrid condition she was in. Amity was balled up on the floor, laying on her side. As he approached her, he heard her constant quiet mutter…
"It's all my fault…it's all my fault…!"
Lawrence scooped up the child and turned to Willow with a serious look.
"Listen, Ms. Park. I'm very much aware of how horribly she'd treated you. But the Moonlight Conjuring is reliant on your friendship. With the condition she's in, you must all help her. Otherwise, Blackburn will make sure there's no future for anyone."
Lawrence walked over to the stairs and went halfway as he replied.
"Edalyn, I need you to go to the Night Market, find those elixirs, and bring them here. And if you find Lilith, or more likely she finds you, bring her, too, immediately."
Eda nodded to Lawrence with a determined look. He turned his glance over to his Palisman next.
"Edgar, I need you to find my old contact and let him know what's happened. We need it now more than ever."
Edgar nodded before he took off out the window. With that done, Lawrence turned to the children.
"And as for all of you, I need you to go to Benjamin's room and wait there while I set Amity in Judith's room to recover. After that, I'll be bringing backup from Omen and Valera. I'll explain the rest after. Is that understood?"
Everybody nodded, unable to process more than that through Lawrence's gravely serious tone.
"Good. We all have explaining to do."
The group all stared at Lawrence as he went up the stairs. Eda turned to the others and spoke softly.
"I'd listen to him. Larry usually knows what he's doing."
Luz found it hard to believe coming from him.
"But you never listen to anybody."
"Exactly. The fact that the Owl Lady is listening should tell you how dead serious this whole thing is. Just… just go upstairs. Please…"
Luz heard the sadness in her voice. She never said "please", either, unless it was in a mocking way. It really was serious. Not for lack of trying, though. She did witness a demon attacking Amity through Judy's body. With that, Luz and the others nodded and followed him while Eda went outside the house. As they each went on their own path to help Judy, the roars of Blackburn grew louder and louder, along with the ruthless banging on the cellar door…
At sundown, Edgar the Crow was flying above the city. His shadow was looking over all of the citizens who lived down there. Some of the children even pointed to the Palisman in awe. Others were curious as they stared at him. But as Edgar flew on, the sky had become black as night. And with it, came the Night Market.
Edgar flew among the patrons, making himself scarce in the shadows. One of the vendors even tried selling teeth.
"Teeth! Get your teeth! We have all varieties and qualities!"
Edgar shook his head at the vendor before he flew down towards an alley. As he flew to the end, the Palisman saw a light. The closer he got to it, the more the source was revealed. It was a makeshift shack, made with wood and a tarp used as a doorway. Edgar flew inside the shack and saw a middle-aged man with graying black hair humming to himself as he banged his hammer on what looked like a metal gauntlet.
From behind, the man appeared to be wearing a dark blue robe with a metal cape behind him, his robe wrapped around the right arm reduced to a stump. He was sitting at a wooden desk, wearing black goggles over his eyes as sparks flew. And just above the desk was a metal chainsaw with a note that said "Chains of Metal", and beside it was a rifle called "Boomstick." It was then that the man heard Edgar's fluttering. He didn't bother to turn his head around, but he was aware of the Palisman.
"I thought I heard those flapping wings before. What is it now?"
Edgar flew up onto a wooden desk and cawed at him to answer him.
"Really? It's that important to call Larry, you can't even tell me?"
Edgar cawed while nodding.
"Oh, Titan… I know what that means, and I hate it already…"
The man picked up a nearby raven and dialed into it with his thumb. It had small spots on its chest that showed numbers from 1 to 0. After pushing the buttons, the raven opened its beak, and he put his ear up to it. All he could hear was a low ringing tone as he tapped his fingers. A few seconds later, he realized it wasn't worth it.
"You know what? I'm putting you on speaker."
The man set the raven back onto the desk and pushed a speaker button on the bottom left-corner of its chest, the beak left wide open. Eventually, the phone stopped the tone and clicked, followed by Lawrence's voice speaking out of it.
"Hello? Are you there?!"
The man didn't seem too surprised as he spoke nonchalantly.
"Let me guess: things didn't go so well for you?"
Lawrence grumbled at his attitude.
"This is not the time to take the situation so lightly, Samuel Raimus…"
Samuel scowled as he picked up a hammer and continued banging his gauntlet's metal plates.
"Don't be so formal, Larry. Just call me Sam."
Lawrence was not pleased by his response.
"I have more pressing concerns than what you should be called. The elixirs are failing, and Blackburn is about to take over my daughter!"
Sam stopped for a moment, seemingly showing genuine concern through his stunned body language at the last clang of metal.
"What? The fuck do you mean they're failing?"
"They have no effect on him anymore. We've burned through them faster than a candle."
Sam sighed dejectedly before he turned to his raven.
"I told you it was only a temporary solution, Larry. You know those things don't last forever."
"And sacrificing my daughter wouldn't be any better of a solution."
Sam placed his hand on his face. He was rather straightforward.
"Look, I'm sorry about your kid, but what do you want me to do? The last time I helped you with this, it cost me my arm!"
Lawrence once again made himself clear.
"Well, we can't let Blackburn go free!"
Sam put his hand on the top of his head, scratching it as he questioned Lawrence further.
"Then tell me, Larry. Do you have a better idea? Because if you don't, I'm dropping this shit immediately."
Lawrence's voice became gravely serious as he replied.
"There is one. It's sure to work. And I know, because I've seen it myself."
Sam paused for a moment and looked at his raven with intrigue.
"Keep talking."
"You've heard of Benjamin, haven't you?"
Sam looked at his desk, seeing the headlines of Bonesborough Stories with Ben on the front page in the arena of Covention.
"Oh, yeah. That kid with that weird magic, right? Surprised he didn't roast the kid alive. Gotta say, as a victim of her family's 'business', she had that coming."
"Ignoring your grudge for the moment, this morning, Benjamin burned the devil with his own bare hands."
This was something that was hard for him to believe. He'd never thought that a human would be the one to burn Blackburn, much less the fact that it was possible.
"And you're sure you saw that?"
"As sure as the moon in the sky. I have a plan to stop him once and for all, but I can't pull that off without you."
Sam looked out the window and saw the moon glowing brighter than ever. It wasn't as bright as the sun, but it was a close second.
"Say no more, Larry. I'm bringing my Chains of Metal and my Boomstick just in case that Blackburn bastard tries anything. You just sit tight for a while."
Lawrence sighed from his response.
"That's all we can do… Just hurry."
With that, the call ended with a long beep. Sam's raven closed its beak and flew off to the window before perching itself on the sill. Sam took in a deep breath and let out a sigh, bearing a big grin on his face. He stared at his gauntlet and the straps.
A few seconds later, he put the straps around his arm and made them tight. Attached to his stump, Sam picked up a nearby apple and crushed it. He made a bigger smile as he dropped the crushed apple into the basket under the desk and made a fist.
"Groovy."
With that, Sam picked up a holster from his desk and put his Boomstick into it while carrying his "chains of metal" with his gauntlet. Sam stared up at the moon with a more optimistic look than before.
"I don't know how you're gonna do it, Larry. But it better be one hell of a show."
A/N: SURPRISE! Didn't expect that, did ya? Well, I'm sure you've guessed at this point. If not, well, surprise anyway. With "Evil Dead Rise" coming up tomorrow, I've made a chapter that was dedicated to Evil Dead, including the character inspired by Ash, Samuel Raimus (a play on Sam Raimi, one of my favorite directors). And before you ask, he is also portrayed by Bruce Campbell himself. Sadly, I couldn't keep it going for long in Part 1, but you can expect some new lore in Part 2, along with the epic ending. And I assure you, it will deliver. Until then, be sure to follow and fave. :)
